FRANCE'S LOIRE VALLEY

You'll find an interesting range of wines here in the Loire Valley and you'll need to know what grapes grows in which appellation.  The wines, like those of Alsace in France, tend to be varietal wines.  Unlike Alsace, however, Loire Valley wines take their geographical names or appellations.  So, while in Alsace a wine is labeled Riesling, for example, here the wines made of Sauvignon Blanc, with only a rare exception or two, rarely are noted on the label as being made of Sauvignon Blanc. 

In an effort to clarify the issue for you, here's a "cheat sheet":

Some of our Loire Valley Selections:

DIDIER DAGUENEAU ("Mister Pouilly-Fumé")

I'd seen articles written about Monsieur Dagueneau, calling  him the "bad boy" of the Loire.  The "Enfant Terrible."  I'm not sure he warranted that designation, but he was an outspoken fellow and one who said what he thought rather than what some people want to hear.

It was a sad day when we learned Didier had died.  The plane he was piloting in France's Dordogne region in September of 2008 stalled and crashed. 


Located off the main drag in Saint-Andelain, Dagueneau maintains a low profile on one hand and a high profile on the other.  No signs are posted to give visitors a clue as to the location of this domaine, for example.  On the other hand, this fellow was a vociferous critic of lackluster viticulture and winemaking.  And he was driven to make outstanding wines and do so according to bio-dynamic farming methods.  

Today the winery is run by Didier's kids from his first wife.  Son Benjamin and daughter Charlotte have had the reigns thrust into their hands and time will tell if they're capable stewards of this benchmark domaine.

Dagueneau started winemaking in the early 1980s.  His father had (and still has) a winery.  Dagueneau's uncle also makes wine.  But Didier's "training" had been as a competitive motocross rider.  He was also famous in dog sledding circles.  Apparently he didn't learn much winemaking from the family.  He didn't want to learn that type of winemaking!  Dagueneau, ever competitive, wanted to make THE BEST and dad and Uncle Serge just didn't cut it.  

The estate comprises about eleven hectares, or so.  Organic farming practices.  Low yields.  Dagueneau was deeply involved in all phases of the process.  He didn't harvest the fruit when sugar levels reach a certain point, for example.  He'd taste the grapes and decide when to pick as he tasted "ripe" flavors.  Try an average bottle of Pouilly-Fumé and you'll often encounter vegetal, unripe flavors and thin, meager wines.  That's not what Dagueneau is about.  



The winery was built in 1989.  It's pristinely clean.  Dagueneau insisted we taste, on a visit some years ago, before having a look at the vineyards, since he didn't want us tracking "terroir" into the clean cellar.  Stainless steel.  Oak barrels.  The usual winery equipment. 

Curiously the barrels, from a variety of coopers, have the letters "DSLS" painted on most of them.  "DIEU SEUL LE SAIT." Daguenau explained.  "God only knows what the type of oak is." Dagueneau tells us.  "The barrel builders sell various types of wood, Alliers, Tronçais, Limousin, Nevers...but God only knows for sure what sort of wood a particular barrel really is!"




If you have the idea Didier was an iconoclast, I'd say you're correct.  He had purchased a piece of land in the Sancerre village of Chavignol, a town famous for the little "Crottin de Chavignol" goat cheese.  However, it's been quite a while since anyone in Chavignol has had goats, let alone made cheese there!  One day there will be Dagueneau's Crottin de Chavignol and it will be from Chavignol!    And producers of Sancerre were a bit nervous upon learning Didier had purchased a parcel of vines in their neighborhood and was intent upon producing wine of their vaunted appellation.



In his vast circle of winemaker friends, Dagueneau hung out with a tough audience.  He'd, apparently, been chided for "only" making white wines.  Colleagues contend that "it's easy to make white wines."  So, Dagueneau planted some Pinot Noir, hardly the easiest red wine to produce.  

We were offered a sample, poured "blind."  I told Dagueneau it was someone's red Burgundy and a really good one.  Didier challenged everyone and so to lead me astray he claimed it was made by a certain California vintner.

"Get out of town!" I screamed.  (This certainly was a challenge to Monsieur Dagueneau's skills with the English language!)  That fellow doesn't make Pinot Noir of this caliber, so I couldn't imagine it was a Californian wine.

Finally he revealed that the wine in question was, in fact,  his own Pinot Noir.  Now he can offer his colleagues a glass of amazingly fine "Burgundy" that comes from well outside the appellation (of the Côte d'Or).   I understand he also planted some Riesling...why not attempt to produce some "house wine" from that remarkably noble grape for home consumption?

The Pouilly-Fumé wines are the work of a perfectionist.  
PF = Pouilly-Fumé, Perfectly Farmed and Pretty Fantastic.  

"En Chailloux" is the basic bottling is the main production of Pouilly-Fumé.  Part of the final blend is fermented in oak, part in stainless steel.  Wood is not a major component of the wine, however.
"Pur Sang" is a wonderful wine which is fermented in wood.  There is a bit of toastiness to the wine, but the oak only adds complexity;  it does not dominate!

"Buisson Renard" is also fermented in barrel, but I found the oak to be less intense than in the Pur Sang.  Buisson Renard use to be called "Buisson Menard" until a prominent French wine writer misspelled the name in a well read publication.  To nail the critic, Dagueneau changed the name of the wine to the misspelling!

"Silex" is regarded as the top bottling, coming from old vines in various parcels.  


"Asteroide" is the collector's item of the bunch, costing hundreds of dollars for a half-liter bottle.  If your lotto ticket is a winner, treat yourself to a bottle of this. 

Otherwise, try the Pur Sang.  (As we drove around the vineyards, Dagueneau showed us a parcel of vineyard that he had just acquired in an exchange with another vigneron.  He said it would take a few years of organic farming to get the vineyard into the proper condition.  

I told Dagueneau that if he acquired a vineyard that was nearly impossible to 'fix," a real pain in the ass, he could offer a companion, single vineyard bottling to Asteroide:  "Hemorrhoid."

The 2007 Blanc Fume is an exceptional introduction to Dagueneau's world of Sauvignon Blanc.  The wine is rather low in alcohol, high in terms of varietal character and displaying "terroir" (chalky and minerally notes).

The Pur Sang wine has beautifully intense Sauvignon fruit and a nice toasty oak adding spice and complexity.  

So...we'll be interested to watch the progress at this celebrated domaine and to see how well son Benjamin fills dad's shoes.

Currently in stock: 
2006 "Pur Sang" $79.99 (a few bottles remain)
2007 "Pur Sang" $95.99 (a few bottles remain)
2007 Blanc Fume  (List $70) SALE $59.99

SYLVAIN BAILLY (Domaine Croix Saint Ursin)

 

This domaine is run by Jacques Bailly and his wife Marie-Helene.  They're located in the town of Bu, though vineyard holdings are scattered around the appellation.

Bailly has about 11 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc in Sancerre, some 3.5 hectares of Pinot Noir and about 5 hectares of Sauvignon in Quincy.  

The Sancerre comes from differing soils.  Jacques explained that about 70% of their vineyards are in limestone, the balance in a soil that's a combination of clay and limestone.  

Bailly's is our most popular Sancerre, his wine having a nice combination of minerality and citrus.  Oak is not part of the program here.  Various sites are picked at differing levels of sugar, so Bailly's fermentation tanks of Sancerre vary in character until he blends them.  A "prestige" bottling is produced in riper vintages and a part of that wine is wood aged.  Even so, it's hard to beat the "Les Terroirs" bottling.

 

Red Sancerre is made, of course, of Pinot Noir.  A French woman picked up a bottle of Bailly's red wine, not knowing this and commented, "There must be something wrong with your Sancerre...it's awfully dark in color."
"It's a red wine." we told her.
"Oh!"

    


   


       

Currently available:  2011 Sancerre "Terroirs" (list $24) SALE  $19.99 (750ml)

LOUIS MÉTAIREAU (and his band of merry vignerons)

For many people in Europe, the name "Louis Métaireau" is synonymous with Muscadet.

Now, Muscadet has nothing to so with "Muscat." Aside from it coming in a green bottle with a cork stopper.

Louis Métaireau was a show man who brought the little white wine of the Pays Nantais to a point of stature.  His "campaign" kicked off in the 1960s when not many people more than 50 miles from Nantes knew the Muscadet wine from the western part of the Loire.  Today every Parisian bistro and oyster bar has Muscadet on the wine list.  Apparently, it's mandated by French law.

Métaireau had but a couple of hectares of vines and he felt their was strength in numbers, so he got some friends and neighbors together to start a winemaking and wine marketing enterprise.  The group eventually purchased the "Domaine du Grand Mouton" estate back in 1972.  The property is called "Mouton," but this designation is not a reference to sheep or lamb.    A French word, "mothon," which signifies "mound" or mountain, has been corrupted to "mouton."  The vineyard is at a high elevation for the region.

Today Métaireau daughter Marie-Luce and her husband Jean-Francois Guilbaud run the domaine.  

We tasted a number of their wines and all are of a high quality level.  We have their "Carte Noire" (black label) in stock.  The 2007 is a lovely dry white...crisp, mildly minerally and with tangy, Granny Smith apple-like acidity. 
Of course, Muscadet not a blockbuster wine.  It's a far cry from 15% alcohol, hugely oaked, full-throttle buttery California Chardonnay, for example.  It's virtue is its simplicity and its "lightness of being," unbearable as that is to many wine drinkers.  It is never a 90-point wine, nor does it aspire to be in a blind-tasting.  It's a "food wine," intended to be on the table with fresh seafood.

Currently in stock:  2007 LOUIS MÉTAIREAU "Carte Noire" MUSCADET $14.99

 

 

DOMAINE DES BAUMARD

A family-run producer specializing in Chenin Blanc wines from Savennières and Quarts-de-Chaume.  They work to retain the fresh fruit aromas of Chenin Blanc, picking the grapes into small bins and vinifying at low temps in stainless steel.   Their Quarts-de-Chaume can mature over several decades (think of what California Chenin Blanc is still good after two or three years)!   We've found their Anjou Rouge, made of Cabernet Franc, to be a very charming and price-worthy wine.
A 1999 Coteaux du Layon "Carte d'Or" is a magnificent sweet Chenin Blanc, while their special, single-vineyard wine of "Clos de Sainte Catherine" is even more honeyed and rich.  This is from the 1998 vintage.

Currently available:  
1990 Quarts de Chaume 74.99 
1999 Coteaux du Layon "Carte d'Or" $17.99
1998 Coteaux du Layon "Clos de Sainte Catherine" $32.99

 

 

DOMAINE PATRICK COULBOIS

Gerald Coulbois had been a grower in the Pouilly-Fumé village of Saint Andelain and now his son Patrick runs this small domaine.  Patrick's wife also comes from a wine growing family, so together they have about 8.7 hectares of vines, all bit a half a hectare being Sauvignon.  The other variety Coulbois cultivates is Chasselas which "dad" used to make into sparkling wine.

The domaine started back in 1974 and today Coulbois produces about 30,000 bottles from vines cultivated in three soil types: Silex (flint), chalk and Clay.  

The flinty soil gives a real minerally character to the wine and that's why we like this fellow's Pouilly-Fumé. The wine is labeled "Les Cocques" as it comes from Silex soil.   It's got a wonderful fragrance of stones and grapefruit, with a touch of a floral note.  Bone dry and crisp, this is a great match with seafood!  I almost sense a 'salty' quality to the wine, too.

 

 

Currently in stock:  2011 Pouilly-Fumé "Les Cocques"  $16.99

Patrick Coulbois opening a bottle
of his Pouilly-Fumé.

DOMAINE DAULNY

Etienne Daulny owns a small domaine in a sub-region of Sancerre called "Chaudenay."  You'll be near the village of Verdigny if you're looking for it on a map.

Daulny is an old-timer who's been growing grapes and making good Sancerre for several decades.  The estate comprises about 15 hectares and he makes a basic Sancerre, an "old vines" bottling from his prized "Clos de Chaudenay" vineyard and a nice little Sancerre Rouge.

Our friend who imports the Daulny wines allowed me to accompany him on an excursion a number of years ago.  We had not purchased any of the first vintages he imported from this domaine.  We tasted through the cellar one cold winter afternoon and I found the basic Sancerre to be "correct," but still lacking excitement.

We'd tasted a sample of the Clos de Chaudenay and I suggested that, perhaps, a bit of this tank blended into the basic bottling might make for a more interesting wine.  I was pleasantly surprised when Daulny put together a few blends incorporating various percentages of the Clos de Chaudenay wine.  Voilà, as they say.  We ended up choosing one of them and this batch was then shipped to the Bay Area.

 



I've returned to visit on several other trips with the importer and now we routinely work to find the blend which works best.  And, I'm delighted to report, the recent vintages we have had in the shop have been very popular with our customers.  

The 2011 has just hit the west coast.  It's a deliciously dry, crisp, lip-smacking, tart, dry Sauvignon Blanc.  We like the citrusy notes and the minerality of this wine.  It's fresh and bone dry.  No oak.   

Daulny also makes a bit of Rosé and Sancerre Rouge.  We don't buy either, presently, but I will say the red wine has been pretty good.  On our 2008 visit, I teased Etienne about his "Domaine de la Romanee-Daulny."  He appreciated the good natured ribbing.

I brought a bottle of the 2007 Chaudenay to an Italian vintner who makes good Sauvignon...he was very impressed and kept muttering Italian expressions/expletives as he drank the wine, preferring it that night, to his own.

Currently in stock:  DAULNY 2011 SANCERRE BLANC $18.99 

 

Etienne in March of 2011

CAVE DE SAUMUR

The Saumur appellation is a bit obscure for most wine drinkers.  Hard core Loire Valley fans know it, but the average bear is in the dark on these wines.

More prominent are the Chenin Blanc wines of Vouvray and the Cabernet Franc wines of Chinon.

This can be good news for those of us who appreciate wines which fall into the category of "affordable."

There's a very good grower's co-operative whose wines arrive here at sensible price levels.

We've had their wines from time to time and, with the 2008 vintage, now's the time!

They make a wine from a single vineyard site south of Saumur (and the winery is also south of the town of Saumur and south of the river) near Meron.  "Les Pouches" is the name of the vineyard.

If you have a ten dollar bill in your pocket and a taste for Chenin Blanc grown in chalky soils, this is a terrific wine.  The flint and limestone contribute to the character of this non-oaked white wine which is vinified to total dryness.  There's a hint of peach and citrus to this wine...but just hints.  You might even sense a chalky element in this wine...we do.  It's a lovely little cocktail white as it sets up the palate for a bigger or more complex wine with the main course.  This is not terribly fancy...it's just a good, dry, crisp white wine.

This is said to pair well with goat cheeses and Asian cuisine.   The producers claim it pairs handsomely with seafood in a cream sauce, but we find it a bit austere for that arena.   We went for a second bottle..."Some more Saumur?"   

Currently in stock:  2009 Saumur "Les Pouches"  $9.99

 

OISLY & THESEE

This producer is a grower's cooperative...and an interesting one at that!

They've been around since the 1960s and have long sold wine in bottle, a relative novelty in those days when much wine was sold in bulk.

We understand they had 55 growers as members in the 1990s, but today it's a much smaller enterprise as a lot of the younger generation of owner families have decided they want to make and bottle their own wines.  Probably some of this was brought about by the co-op preferring to ferment each grower's fruit separately to see what they had...then they'd make their master blend in order to sell the wines.  

Of course, most growers are going to find their wine superior to the bottling which hit the market...

Anyway, we've tasted the little Sauvignon Blanc from this winery for many years and they always turn out a clean, sound wine.  

We were a bit surprised to find the 2010 tasting somewhat brighter and slightly more intense than we'd found in the past.  The wine remains attractively priced and a nicely tangy, bone dry, crisp Loire Valley, entry level Sauvignon Blanc.

If you're preparing some sort of seafood and you like a squeeze of lemon, you'll probably find this wine to be worth a try.  And at its modest price, even if it's not your cup of Sauvignon Blanc, you've been bruised for a mere eight bucks.

 

Currently in stock:  2010 OISLY & THESEE SAUVIGNON BLANC  $7.99

ERIC CHEVALIER    Domaine de L'Aujardiere

The wines of the western part of France's Loire Valley might be more popular if consumers didn't confuse Muscadet with Muscat.  But the average bear in America sees the name Muscadet on a wine label and immediately associates the wine with bottlings that are often hugely perfumed and sweet.

Eric Chevalier grew up on a little wine producing farm and worked for a negociant firm in Touraine for about a decade before heading back home and taking the reins of the family domaine.  He had been working at the Laroche winery in Chablis where he was exposed to the Chardonnay grape.  Similarly, he learned about red wine in the Anjou appellation of the Loire.

His father was ready to retire and Eric wasn't looking to run the winery, so the vineyards were in danger of being ripped out or sold, perhaps.  But the planets and stars came to some particular alignment and Chevalier decided to move back home and handle the vineyards, along with making some wines.

The wine we're crazy about from Monsieur Chevalier is not his lovely Muscadet, but the wine made from a curious variety known in the Loire as "Fie Gris."  This is a relative of Sauvignon Blanc, though the skin of the grape actually ripens to a lightly colored hue, appearing to the uninitiated as though it might be a red grape.  It's said to have been fairly widely planted in the 1800s, but when the vineyards were destroyed by the Phylloxera root louse, growers replanted with Sauvignon Blanc as it was said to yield a larger crop.   So much for Sauvignon Gris or "Fie Gris" if you're in the western Loire.

We see Sauvignon Gris in Bordeaux and France's Southwest and there's a bit in Chile, too.  

Chevalier makes a really nice dry white from Fie Gris...dry, as you might expect.  There's an interesting spice tone here with hints of a vegetal or herbal note.  This is marvelous as a cocktail white and it pairs quite nicely with seafood (shrimp marinated in olive oil, thyme, garlic and a bit of chili pepper and then broiled for a few minutes...)...

 

Currently in stock:  2010 ERIC CHEVALIER "FIE GRIS"  $21.99

DOMAINE DU CLOSEL (Chateau des Vaults)

This property was originally called the Chateau des Vaults, but it's been known as the Domaine du Closel for maybe half a century.

The property was owned by the Marquis de Las Cases around the time of the Phylloxera scourge and Bernard de Closel married into the family.

It's situated at the south-eastern part of the town of Savennières.  Monsieur de Closel was, in fact, even the mayor of the village...imagine in these days of term limits, this guy was elected to the post in 1919 and remained the Mayor until 1956.  It was under his leadership that Savennières got its appellation (1952).  De Closel's niece took over the property in 1962 and now the domaine has passed on to her daughter, Evelyne de Jessey-Pontbriand.   It was Evelyne's mom, Michele, who renamed the estate as Domaine du Closel, wanting to honor her Uncle Bernie.

Today there are nearly 17 hectares of vineyards.  They've been farming organically for a number of years and are certified by Ecocert.  In addition to Chenin Blanc, they make some Anjou wines of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.  And today Evelyne heads the Savennières' grower's group, so she's got a leadership role in the region.

We are fans of her Clos du Papillon bottling.  The 2007 is in the shop presently.  If you're interested to experience a wine made of Chenin Blanc which has finesse and complexity, and you're able to appreciate a subtle wine, you might try one of these.  We find notes reminiscent of white flowers, quince, a suggestion of honey or beeswax and some nicely stony, minerally tones.  The wine is dry and showing well now, but it can be cellared for many more years, too.   Got lobster?

Currently in stock:  2007 DOMAINE DU CLOSEL SAVENNIÈRES "Clos du Papillon"  $34.99

DOMAINE HUET

This is a leading light in Vouvray and many connoisseurs view the Huet domaine as the reference point for the appellation.  

Victor Huet started this estate in 1928, buying Le Haut Lieu property from the Masse family.  Huet and his wife Anna Constance had a son, Gaston, who studied agronomy before being drafted into the military as World War II started.  The property was devastated during the war and Gaston Huet had been in a Prisoner of War Camp from 1940 until the war ended.  

He's often cited in an interesting book called WINE & WAR by Don & Petie Kladstrup.  It's a fascinating book featuring interviews with many wine industry figures whose lives were impacted by the Nazi invasion.

When Huet returned home, he found the vineyards in a sad state, not having been pruned or plowed (the Nazis took all the horses for one thing).  He set about righting the ship and in 1947, one of the greatest vintages on record for Vouvray, Huet was elected as Mayor of the town, a post he held until 1989 (coincidentally, another Hall of Fame vintage for Vouvray!).

Over the years, Le Haut Lieu grew to a 9 hectare site.   Le Clos du Bourg became a stable-mate in 1953 and this is now a 6 hectare parcel.  Also part of the domaine is Le Mont and this is an 8 hectare vineyard.  

Huet had two daughters and a son.  The son, Jean, didn't get along well with his old man and took off for greener pastures.  We understand he became a photographer.  

The youngest daughter, Marie-Francoise, married the son of a local butcher.  This fellow, Noel Pinguet, was not a wine drinker and he was involved with an insurance company in Paris.  In 1971 the newlyweds moved back to Vouvray and Pinguet got his first taste of winemaking, learning from old man Huet.  He never had any formal training, but when you're learning from a fellow who has a Black Belt in Vouvray, perhaps you don't need to sit in a classroom listening to enology professors droning on about winemaking theories.

Pinguet, then, assumed control of the winemaking chores in 1976 and he continued the fine tradition of the Great Gaston.  Huet passed away in 2002 and the Pinguets had two daughters who did not express much interest in the family business.  So the property was sold to a Filipino-born fellow, Anthony Hwang.  Pinguet remains working at the domaine on a part-time basis and is under contract to remain in this position until 2015.

They have a sensible program to keep a large portion of the vines at least 30 years old, with about 35% of the property being, at least, mature and in the range of 10 to 30 years of age.  Fifteen percent of the estate is in recently-planted vineyards.  

The vineyards are all hand-harvested, a bit of a rarity in Vouvray as most vines are not mechanically harvested.  They've embraced biodynamic vineyard cultivation, though were spooked in the Spring of 2008 and sprayed something not approved to save the crop.  They've since returned to their normal, sensible, biodynamic practices.

We have Le Haut Lieu Sec in the shop from the 2010 harvest.  This is a marvelous dry white with some beautiful fruit and stony notes.  It's still young, but it has such character!  It can probably easily be cellared another 5 to 10 years and it will continue to grow.

Also in the shop if the 2008 Le Mont Demi-Sec.  Here's another youthful wine with a firm backbone and delightful balance.  It's mildly sweet, but not full-throttle sugary.  

Currently available:  2010 LE HAUT LIEU SEC $29.99 
2008 LE MONT DEMI-SEC $39.99

CHAMPALOU

Didier and Catherine Champalou embarked on their wine-making adventure in 1983 when they planted their first Chenin Blanc vines in the Vouvray appellation...all of one half of a hectare!  Today they farm 21 hectares of vineyards splashed across the appellation.

The winery has grown and so have their kids, as the two Champalou daughters are now working in the wine biz, one in Vouvray with Mom and Dad, the other in Great Britain.

We're fans of their basic Vouvray...while many wines of this appellation have a decidedly mushroomy character, the Champalou wine is bright, nicely appley and fruity in terms of aromas and flavors, with tangy acidity giving the wine a fairly dry finish.

We like this wine for its zesty character and 'clean' fragrances and flavors...Very bright and youthful.

Currently in stock:  2011 CHAMPALOU Vouvray $17.99

MORE LOIRE VALLEY WINES

Wine Tasting Today

TO INQUIRE ABOUT A WINE:  gerald@weimax.com